The Consumer Electronics Show isn’t just for devices like laptops, smartphones, and smart cars. It’s also about the little things; the accessories that keep our beloved devices going, enhance our experience, and of course, address the needs that these new-generation devices demand.
From waterproof Bluetooth speakers to almost-tactical gadget backpacks; from big companies to start up brands, CES 2016’s offerings offer answers to typical demands tech-savvy consumers have – and demands you didn’t even know you had.
BoomCloud 360’s BoomStick
Listening to music while working is a practical must for most people; even just something in the background is needed to concentrate or to distract for just a bit. Alas, in an office environment, listening to Pantera may not be helpful for everyone. That, combined with the typical earphones’ lackluster performance, can leave aficionados wanting. Enter the BoomStick, a dongle that plugs into your laptop or smartphone/tablet and your earphones. It enhances bass, soundstage, and hi-tone frequencies and can even bump up the amplitude of low-power headphones like the ones that come bundled with your smartphone.
Concepter iBlazr 2 Wireless LED Flash
Let’s face it: the LED flash on your phone may not be enough in most scenarios, especially when taking a food (or product) shot in a very dimly-lit place. The iBlazr 2 has four LEDs to evenly light your subject for best results. It snaps on to any-size of smartphone and it will sync with your phone’s native camera app via Bluetooth with options to adjust color temperature from 3,200K to 5,600K. It can last 300 flashes or three hours of continuous light on a single USB charge, and has an 80ft. range.
Griffin Travel Power Bank for the Apple Watch and iMic USB-C
Like the smartphone, Apple’s wearable looks great but lacks staying power. Griffin’s super-portable powerbank can charge an Apple Watch four times before it itself needs USB charging. It fits on your keyring and ready for the multiple times in a day your nifty Apple wearable needs a top up.
Also from Griffin is something for the music connoisseur: the iMic USB-C. This accessory digitizes analog audio from vinyl or cassette tapes into MP3 or FLAC. Mac users will have to get the Final Vinyl app for this one though, but if you’re a music junkie with the whole turntable-and-super-awesome-speakers at home and want to bring your music experience wherever you go, then this accessory is for you (plus a Mac, of course).
Innergie PowerGear Ice 65
Laptops are great devices. Sure, they may be a little heavy, but a lot of the work nowadays happens on these devices. The only real hassle left for companies to address is the issue of the wall charger. The PowerGear Ice 65 is a small charger that basically consists of a wall plug and a cable. There are different adaptors for different brands of laptops, and even comes with a USB port so you can charge your phone. It’s definitely smaller than the wall plugs that come with laptops, but just as safe as using the stock gear that the office issued you.
